Steven Tyler Talks Addiction Struggles on ‘Dr. Oz’

‘The Dr. Oz Show’ may not usually be appointment viewing for many Aerosmith fans, but they’ll want to make sure they don’t miss the Sept. 10 episode of the syndicated series, which features an appearance from singer Steven Tyler.

Entertainment Tonight has posted a preview clip from Tyler’s sitdown with Dr. Oz, in which the frontman candidly discusses his long struggle with substance abuse. “My sobriety cost me nothing less than everything,” Tyler said. “I lost everything. It’s serious when you lose your kids, your children, your wife, your band, your job and you’ll never understand why because you’re an addict. You can’t figure that out.”

As longtime Aerosmith fans are aware, the band members’ long slide into addiction bottomed out in the early ’80s, contributing to the departures of guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford and helping send the group’s once-mighty commercial clout into a seemingly irreversible tailspin. It was only after reuniting and sobering up that the group was able to get back on track. Even though Aerosmith’s newfound sobriety became an integral part of the band’s story during its late ’80s comeback, Tyler’s drug woes were far from over.

He opened up about his recent relapse during his chat with Dr. Oz, recalling that he fell off the wagon after abusing prescription pills following surgery — and this time, his young kids were affected by his behavior. “Two of them never saw me high until about seven years ago,” Tyler admitted. “I had a bunch of operations and simply didn’t follow my program, and I kept the drugs by the side of my bed, so I just did more instead of doing what was prescribed. Remember, I’m a very good drug addict because I’ve done it for so many years.”

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